1891 Proof Half Dollar Pattern - J-1765

Coin Details

Description

Judd-1765 is a unique proof pattern half dollar representing one of Chief Engraver Charles Barber's earliest submissions in the 1891 design process. The obverse features Barber's Liberty Head with the portrait positioned distinctively high within the field, shifting the head's relationship to the surrounding stars, date, and legends compared to the other half dollar patterns. This early treatment shows Barber's initial interpretation of Mint Director Leech's instruction to model Liberty after the contemporary French coinage, before subsequent refinements adjusted the portrait's size and placement to achieve the more centered composition seen in J-1764 and the adopted J-1763 design. The reverse displays the heraldic eagle design with national shield, arrows, and olive branch consistent with the other 1891 half dollar patterns. Barber submitted J-1765, J-1764, and J-1762 as a group by the end of October 1891, giving Leech and Treasury Secretary Charles Foster multiple options for the obverse and reverse combinations. The spacing between Liberty's neck truncation and the adjacent first star differs noticeably from the adopted design, and the overall composition appears somewhat less refined than Barber's later submissions, indicating this represents an earlier stage in his design development. All five 1891 half dollar patterns remain in the Smithsonian, constituting an irreplaceable record of the Barber coinage design process.

Rarity Notes

R-8. Unique. Single specimen in the Smithsonian National Numismatic Collection.

Cross References

Judd J-1765, Pollock P-1980